Friday, 24 October 2008

Silas is doing really well. We have started feeding him hourly during the day as we want to build up his strength and little and often is the best for weight gain. You watch a foal feeding from its mum and it feeds very regularly, multiple times an hour. It is not really possible to sit with him 24/7 but we figure if we can at least get him started well and build up his strength, we should be able to put him on the bucket and really get him going quite quickly. Picked up his foal meal today too so will start introducing that as well.

So Rory is one of those naughty boys. You know the type, into everything, answers back, gives plenty of attitude - that's our Rory! His poor mum has first mother's syndrome and is far too soft on him!! Grabbed these pix earlier. He makes me smile.

With Christina

Innocence? C'mon MUM! But I can't eat!Perhaps this will work?

Poor Hooty had only just lain down but he was so insistent that she was back on her feet feeding him within about two minutes. Get tough Hooty!!

Thursday, 23 October 2008

Well somehow we have made it through to day five and today is the first day I have felt really happy about Silas' progress. He's drinking really well and his strength has really picked up, not to mention the fact that he is pooping in a much more acceptable fashion (constipation improvement). Today he had his first taste of freedom too, as captured on this brief video.

We continue to be very humbled by the wonderful support we are receiving from people who are, in many cases, essentially complete strangers to us. We have received flowers, chocolate, coffee, biscuits (the biggest box I have ever seen!!!) and many, many emails and messages and hugs. In today's mail were two envelopes, both holding enough money to pay for Silas' milk powder for a number of weeks plus our friend and neighbour John has just turned up with a pile of Farmlands gift vouchers and bottle of Lindauer from the wonderful folk of the NZHorses community. We do not even know who sent the first envelope of Farmlands vouchers but, we intend to find out! People are incredible and this week I have cried as many tears because of the kindness of people as I have over the loss of our much loved friend.

It would seem that Debi had many many admirers, all over the country and indeed the world and her passing has affected a huge number of people. Debi really was a personality and I think that shone through in her photos. She was a wonderful mother, a professional 'eater' and a real 'talker' and head tosser. Whenever you would approach her in the paddock she would acknowledge your approach with gentle whickers and a shake of her shaggy mane. Sure, if you had no food, she rapidly lost interest but I don't think I ever saw her pin her ears back and she certainly treated everyone who came across her path with the same food oriented interest, bless her heart.

Video

And finally, today's news! I had a lovely phone call this morning from a local woman who brought her Clydesdale mare to Robbie last season. Her lovely mare, Pippa, foaled a beautiful, big strong black foal at the very civilised hour of 8am this morning. She was unsure of sex at that stage but the vet was coming out to give baby a once over and post natal jabs and I have been promised photos which I will, of course, be blogging as soon as they arrive in my inbox! The breeder is local as well so we can look forward to taking a wee trip at some time to meet the new babe. So good to have such a happy start to today.

Tuesday, 21 October 2008

Miss long-legs is doing so well. She has learned how to step into pressure now so well on the way to knowing how to lead and tie up. Not had much time lately to really put much into her but she's smart and she learns fast so I am not too worried. She picks up all her feet nicely too. Such a good girl.

Here she comes again

Under her father's watchful eyeWith new friend ChristinaGood girl on the leadStriking yet another pose

Day five and Rory or 'Ratbag' is doing really well. He seems very small and I am not sure if that is because Aine and Silas are so huge or because he really IS quite small. Mum was a maiden and from experience I know that maidens often have smaller foals. He's not lacking attitude or substance though and I am thrilled with him.

It was a long hard night. We slept with Silas and will continue to do so until he is feeding better and less frequently - it is easier to allow him to wake us to tell us that he is hungry than for us to set our alarm and come up and hope he is hungry. Here is a brief video of him first thing this morning.

Monday, 20 October 2008

Today's blog entry is incredibly painful to write but I am hoping that it may be cathartic to do so...

At 3am on Sunday morning our beautiful clydesdale mare Debi (Kennybrook Maude) gave birth to a fabulously all blinged out colt. At 3.30am Debi drew her final breath, whilst cradled in my arms after succumbing to a uterine haemorrhage. I won't share the full details as it was a horrifying thing to experience and no-one really needs to know any more than Deb had all of our love and devotion focussed upon her as she shuffled off this mortal coil and departed to the next life. The very last thing I whispered to her was that she was not to worry about Silas as he would have all the love and care that we could possibly heap upon him and he would do her absolutely proud.

We are of course devastated beyond anything I could hope to express in writing. Debi was not just a beautiful looking animal but she had a character and soul that was without equal. A special friend who we will never replace. We are just so fortunate to have shared our lives with her for the years that we did.

So now we have another orphan to raise - What's with that?! Silas is doing OK. He's very big and pretty strong but taking a while to get himself organised into the routine of it all. The vet has been and taken bloods to run an Iga levels test, listened to his hear and lungs, checked his slack tendons and pronounced him perfectly fine, just big! All that said, he has not been drinking as he should be and had a temperature earlier this afternoon and then went off his food so his input is down markedly. He is drinking something and I guess something is better than nothing but it is all such a worry.